What's Happening?
Arrowhead Studios, the developer behind Helldivers 2, has addressed concerns regarding the game's substantial installation size on PC, which is approximately 150GB. This size is significantly larger than the game's footprint on consoles like Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Brendan Armstrong, the deputy technical director at Arrowhead, explained that the large size is due to data duplication necessary for players using mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs). This duplication helps reduce loading times by grouping data closely together, a process not required for solid state drives (SSDs). The studio is currently unable to accurately determine how many players still use mechanical HDDs, but estimates suggest around 12% of PC gamers might be affected. Arrowhead is working on solutions to reduce the file size, including bundling common assets and improving compression techniques.
Why It's Important?
The issue of large game installation sizes is significant for both developers and players. For players, especially those with limited storage capacity, large game files can be a barrier to installation and enjoyment. For developers, optimizing game size while maintaining performance is a technical challenge. Arrowhead's approach to addressing this issue highlights the ongoing transition in gaming hardware from mechanical HDDs to SSDs, which offer faster data access speeds. This transition impacts game development strategies and could influence future hardware requirements for PC gaming. The resolution of this issue could set a precedent for how developers handle similar challenges in the future, potentially affecting a wide range of games and players.
What's Next?
Arrowhead plans to release updates that will gradually reduce the game's file size by eliminating unused assets and optimizing data storage. However, these changes may not be immediately noticeable due to new content being added. In the long term, the studio aims to improve its game engine and apply compression techniques to further reduce the need for data duplication. The success of these efforts will depend on the ability to balance reduced installation sizes with acceptable loading times, especially for players using older hardware. The gaming community and industry will be watching closely to see how Arrowhead navigates these technical challenges.
